Multicopter uses sixteen deadly spinning blades for flight

by Mark R

Sure, you could take a ride in a helicopter with one giant spinning rotor on top, or even go with two. However, why not live on the edge and go with sixteen smaller ones.

This is e-volo multicopter from Germany, and even though I would never risk being the pilot, I admire what they were trying to do. Like most new flying vehicles, the first flight was not long. Pilot Thomas Senkel used a handheld wireless control unit to keep it up in the air for 90 seconds, but he could have kept the gas/electric hybrid multicopter up in the air for about 30 minutes. There is a video after the jump if you want to see some more about it.

The advantage of using multiple blades is that each of these motors are independent of each other. By the way, if the multicopter loses four rotors, it can still stay aloft. I suppose that makes me feel safe in the midst of sixteen things that can chop me up like a blender.

In case you are wondering what the practical use of this device is, the company hopes to have a commercial version of this multicopter for the next few years. I suppose that you will be paying to fly these at amusement parks? Yes, the multicopter is the balloon ride fo the next generation.